


Teeth of The Damned

by Spirit_Vulpes



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: "Zombies", Alternate Universe - Zombies, Banter, Blood and Gore, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt, Inconsequential Death, Psychological Trauma, Rage Virus is Probably More Accurate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:48:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27086611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spirit_Vulpes/pseuds/Spirit_Vulpes
Summary: With a mysterious sickness plaguing Zootopia and turning its residents into feral, bloodthirsty psychos, its up to Judy Hopps to move past her guilt and work with a motley crew of survivors to set things right.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 18





	1. I See It Again, and Again in My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to MamaSally for allowing me to use her character, Angelica, for this chapter.
> 
> You can find her works here, and I'd highly recommend you check them out: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaSally/pseuds/MamaSally

It was a chilly autumn day in Bunnyburrow. Judy Hopps leaned against a fence, staring out towards the hills. A gentle breeze brushed her fur, and the sun beamed down on her. It had been nine months since the much rebuked press conference, and eight since whatever was affecting savage predators began to transmit to prey. A chubby fox made his way out to her. 

"Uh, Judy? You in there?" Gideon asked, waving his paw in front of the doe's eyes. 

"Oh, yeah, uh, hey, Gid." Judy looked at him, blinking and giving him a weak smile.

"You alright there? Sorry to bother ya, but yer sister-"

"I take it Violet sent you again?" Gideon nodded in response. 

"Yeah, she's worried about you… says you've been out here almost all day, starin' at nothin'."

Judy sighed. "I know… I just need time to myself." 

"Judy, I'm not sure it's healthy to need… almost a year to yourself."

"Yeah…" 

Gideon gently put a paw on her shoulder.

"Look, I think it's best you come back inside. I don't know what'll kill ya, that guilty look on yer face, or them zombies." That solicited a somber look from Judy. 

"Please just call them infected, Gideon. Zombie apocalypse… is still hard to swallow." 

"Shoot, shouldn't be too hard to swallow once you see all them zombies." Judy couldn't help but chuckle and roll her eyes. "Come on now. Let's get you home." 

Walking inside the Hopps warren, Judy smiled as she looked over the ever-active main hall. Rabbits of varying ages played with each other, with toys, ate, drew… anything to keep the boredom of being stuck in what was essentially a bunker at bay. With Gideon departing from her side, Judy was met by her biggest sister. 

"Hey, Angelica."

"Sup." The rather large rabbit swung her bloodied and chipped baseball bat over her shoulder. "Busy day today." 

"Yeah, certainly looks like you and Homer were…" Judy's observation was met with a nod and a slight frown from her sister.

"Mr. Cottonwood from down the road was bitten." 

"Oh… how long ago?" 

"Long enough to turn him into a mindless, bloodthirsty psycho. He deserved better…" Angelica wiped some of the fresher blood off her bat, giving Judy a rather hamfisted implication. 

"Yeah, he really did… look, Angie, please stay safe, okay? Last thing I'd want is to lose you." 

"Judy," Angelica knelt to be at eye level with her little sister, patting her head. "I'll be okay. Been at it this long, and I haven't been bi-"

"Shhshh! DON'T. JINX IT." Judy pressed her paw up to Angelica's mouth to silence her. Angelica chuckled, moving it away. 

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything, heh. I'm gonna go lie down, though. Love you, sis." 

"Love you too, Angie." After embracing, Judy made her way to the kitchen, which, for a pseudo-zombie apocalypse, was still well stocked. _Perks of being farmers, I guess._ Judy thought to herself. Getting herself a sandwich and an apple, she sat down at one of the many dining room tables. 

_"Oh, so there's a them now?"_ Her ears shot up, and her eyes darted around the room. Sighing, she shook her head. It was abundantly clear to her siblings, or anyone who looked at her for more then five seconds, that she still hadn't lived the press conference down. Or hurting Nick, for that matter. She didn't know where he was, or if he was even alive, but she was hoping that somewhere, some time, she'd be able to set things right. Until then, though… 

"Judy, are you gonna eat your sammich?" Her little niece, Cotton, tugged at her pants leg. She couldn't help but smile at her. 

"No, Cotton, I don't think so. You want it?" The little bunny nodded quickly, taking it. "What's going on, cottonball?" 

"There are some mammals here to see you." Judy froze. "One of them was a rhino, and he was about this-" 

"Cotton, what did Grandma and Grandpa tell you about opening the door for strangers?"

"I didn't, though! They told me to tell you!" _Is it really that hard for my family to see me in person?_ Judy sighed. 

"Okay, where are they?" 

"At the fwont doow." 

"...great." The doe got up, storming to the front door, where her parents stood outside. Her mom waved at her, standing next to a collective of different mammals, each armed to the teeth. 

"Hey, Bun-bun!" Bonnie Hopps smiled at her daughter, acting as if this was normal. 

"Mom, how are you so… nonchalant about this?" 

"Oh, sweetie, they're just here to ask a couple of questions." An arctic fox vixen nodded at her. 

"...they have guns." Judy stated in a deadpan tone. 

"You know we can speak too, Hopps." The vixen said. She donned a cap with "FBI" written across the front. "Agent Lizzie Cohen, We need you." 

"For?" Judy asked, as Bonnie and Stu went back inside, leaving her to deal with… whatever this was.

"You were one of the last mammals in physical contact with our Patient Zero. Do you know Nicholas P. Wilde?" Judy's heart dropped, and she became tense.

"Y-yeah?" 

"Good. We need you to help us retrace your steps. He fell into a state of… primal behavior shortly after you… well, you know." 

"Yeah…" _Great. Nick's probably dead because_ **_YOU_ ** _said the wrong things. How much blood is on your paws, Judy?_

"We need you to come with us. Everything involving that case was lost when Precinct One was firebombed." 

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" Judy cocked her head back, groaning. "Okay, whatever, deal." 

"Welcome to Requiem. I just introduced myself, but you'll be working with Agent Harrison Norton," Lizzie pointed at a wolf, then at the rhino. "Corporal John Zielinski, and-" 

"...Detective Vincent?" Judy cut her off, as she spotted her former co-worker. 

"Hey, Hopps. Long time no see." The German Shepherd looked at her, as he put up a paw as a wave. 

"Huh. Well, since today can't _possibly_ get… any weirder, or worse… where do we begin?" 

  
  



	2. Doom So Close That I Can Taste It

After a little over two hours, Judy said her (potentially last) goodbyes to her family, packed some of her belongings, and was soon in a large-mammal van with the rest of Requiem. Harrison passed Judy a collection of dossiers. 

"What's this?" Judy asked, taking the files from him.

"Everything you need to know." 

"I think I should know most of it? I mean, I  _ lived  _ it." 

"Yeah, I don't think you've been involved in the last eight months though, have you?" Harrison leaned back in his seat.

"...fair enough." Quickly skimming over each document, Judy made sure to look anywhere for Nick's name. "…first predator to show capabilities of spreading savagery through bites… savagery is caused by  _ midnicampum holicithias _ , wait, the flower?" She set the files down, having barely read them. 

"Yep. Says here most farmers around here call them Nighthowl-"

"Nighthowlers… it was right there the whole time!" 

"Congrats, you figured it out." Judy frowned at Harrison's sarcastic demeanor. "We found a train car in the subway station under the city a few months ago. Was just about empty, save for a few petals that fell into some nooks and crannies." 

"I won't lie, it was pretty damn convenient." John chimed in from the driver's seat, Harrison nodding in agreement. 

"So, anything come from that?" Asked Judy. Harrison shook his head. 

"No. We haven't been able to find who was doing what with those flowers. Just the train car. Our boys back at the mainland have been working with what they can to find a cure, but, so far, no good." 

"Even better…" Judy sighed. Rob patted her shoulder. "So, what's our plan?" 

"Well," Lizzie started. "We're heading into the city via ferry. There's a safehouse in the subway systems where they're keeping PZ. We secure him, and any other useful info, and get the hell out of dodge." 

"Nick's still alive?" Judy's ears perked.

"For all we know, yeah." Harrison shrugged.

"Why Nick specifically?"

"Because we can guarantee, if he's alive, he'll cooperate." Said Lizzie, as her gaze shifted from out the window, to Judy. 

"That meaning?"

"He's still himself, mostly. He was able to speak and process things, but his primal instincts were taking control every so often." Lizzie flicked through the files, pointing out the line that mentioned his condition.

"Oh, Nick…" She read the line over and over again, hoping that he was still alive. 

"Sounds like you and him have a history. You were only with him for a day, right?" Rob said, looking at her.

"Yeah. And, sort of… I saved his life a few times, he saved mine… he trusted me enough to open up to me, and I betrayed that." 

"How? It can't be that bad." Rob's question was answered only by the doe slouching her shoulders and frowning. "Nevermind. Dumb question." 

"Anyways… what's been going on in the city?" 

"Oh, lemme tell you, nothing good." Harrison chuckled, still in disbelief. "Disaster after disaster, it's unreal. The only mammals there are the ones who don't want to leave, are infected, or have no means of escape." 

"Yeah, the Army dropped a few bombs here and there to cover their tracks. Began to retreat when they realized reclaiming the city was a lost cause, it spread that fast. Not me, though. Technically, I'm AWOL and probably charged with desertion." John chuckled, looking at the group through the mirror. 

"Zielinski, I'll be sure to clear this off your record." 

"You can do that, Cohen?" 

"I can sure try." 

"Cool. So, Hopps?" John looked back at Judy.

"Yeah?" 

"We've got you some gear already. Armored and biteproof. Plus, uh, guns your size aren't really effective, so..."

"How am I supposed to defend myself, then?"

"Oh, don't worry. We're giving you a weapon. Norton, could you get it out?" Harrison nodded, bringing a tool box his size out from under his seat. 

"Apologies for the lack of class, Hopps. Not that you aren't used to it." Harrison chuckled, as Judy frowned, looking inside. The box contained reinforced motorcyclist clothes, navy blue kevlar and ballistic plating, along with a rotary grenade launcher. 

"A grenade -- I'm not gonna blow mammals up, if that's what you want me to do!" Judy shouted, tensed, and visibly distressed. 

"Relax, Hopps. You won't have to. Gas grenades filled with a paralyzing nerve agent." John stated in a calming voice. "You knock 'em out. We'll be doing most of the… y'know." 

"Okay…" Judy sighed. "Quick question." She looked to Rob.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Bellwether in all this? I mean, she fell out of the media's focus like… a few months ago now." 

"We don't know." Rob said, shrugging. "The city doesn't have internet anymore, and the press is barred from entering anymore since Zootopia turned into a damn no mammal's land." 

"Huh."

"Yeah." Rob exhaled, looking out the window. The road was quiet, save for the occasional infected mammal lurking on the side of the road. Not many managed to get infected outside of Zootopia's limits. It was really only Bunnyburrow that suffered, but even then, any cases were "dealt with" rather quickly. 

"Why'd you guys pick the name Requiem?" Judy asked. 

"Requiem, by definition, means mass for the dead --" Lizzie began to answer.

"She just thought it sounded cool." Harrison interrupted. Lizzie deflated slightly.

"Yeah. Pretty much what he said." 

"The perfect mix of meaning and high school edge." Judy chuckled. The other members of Requiem did too, becoming quiet as they got closer and closer to the dock, where a rusty commercial fishing boat was waiting. "That it?" She asked.

"Yep. That's it." Rob stretched his legs as they got out of the van, himself and the rest of Requiem gathering their belongings. "The only mammal crazy enough to offer rides there and back. He's pretty friendly, though." 

"Right." Judy exhaled, walking with Rob, as he carried both his and her gear. 

"Hey-o, good to see y'all, iss been real, real quiet now since my woman got bit." An aged otter yelled to them from the bridge in a strong Cajun accent, dressed like your run-of-the-mill hillbilly fisherman. 

"Hey Virgil. We got the new girl." Harrison tossed his duffle bag aboard, as Virgil tipped his hat at them. 

"Wait, Virgil? Virgil Arroser?" Judy went up to the bridge, chuckling. Virgil was a friend of her dad's. 

"Why, if it ain't Judy Hopps! Long time no see, how's ya mama an' them?" 

"Oh, they're fine. You?"

"Oh, Virgil been alright. Miss me my woman."

"I'm sorry for your loss." 

"It's okay. Ahm at peace." Judy gave him a hug. He smelt like fish, liquor, and sadness. "So, y'all headed to the Rainforest District na?" 

"Yeah, Virgil. You got everything?" Harrison chimed in from down the stairs.

"Oh, yessiree, my boat's ready ta go!" 

"Good. No time to waste." Harrison made his way below deck, Judy following. "You ready, Hopps?" 

"No. Not really…" 


	3. Coming Home

"Hopps. Wake up." Harrison snapped his finger in front of her face, whistling. 

Judy groaned, sitting up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "What's going… are we here?"

"I wish we weren't, but we can't always get what we want, can we?" He held his paw out, she took it, as he pulled her up to her feet. 

"Right… I'll meet you up there in a sec, just… let me get ready." Harrison nodded, leaving the tired bunny in the bunk room. Clasping her paws together, she looked towards the ceiling. "Frith, I know I haven't talked to you much since sixth grade. But all I ask is that you give me the strength to survive. I want to see my family after all of this. Please." Making her way up to the deck, she met the others. The boat had stopped just short of where the waters of the Rainforest District's swamp and the lake surrounding Zootopia met. 

"We're going for a short swim, Hopps." Lizzie said, getting her equipment ready. "Have everything you need?"

"Armor, launcher, gas, gas mask… Yeah, I guess. One thing, though…" 

"Yes?" Lizzie turned to her.

"I think all this  _ might  _ weigh me down." 

"Right… Hey, Vincent? Think you can give Hopps a ride?"

"Yeah, sure.  _ It's like playing with my daughter all over again… _ " He mumbled, kneeling. 

"You have a daughter?" Judy asked, climbing onto his back, sitting on his shoulders. It wasn't exactly dignifying, but it was better than sinking and drowning. 

"Yeah. She's out with my wife Rose in Cali. We were on vacation when all this started, and we ended up moving in with my parents." 

"Oh. How old is she?"

"16." Rob grunted slightly as he stood up, Judy on his shoulders.

"Ah. Cool."

"Yeah. Just hoping I can go home to her after this. When I left, she was just crying…" Judy deflated, giving him a somber look.

"She'll be okay, Rob. You'll make it back."

"I know she will. And yeah, I hope so." He smiled up at her slightly, being met with a weak smile back.

Stepping off the back of the boat, the four mammals began to wade to a group of fishing huts that weren't too far from the shore. Climbing up a ladder, Judy began to investigate the inside of one of the rundown shacks. The door had been broken down, and what appeared to be otter bones were strewn about the shack. Judy shivered, shining a flashlight at the skull lying on the floor. Startled, she fell backwards, dropping her flashlight, the aluminum illuminator hitting the floor with a thud. Her eyes were widened with fear, her breath picking up.

"Oh… Oh Frith above, what have I…" She put a paw over her chest, gulping.

"Hopps. Easy. We need to keep calm so they don't smell us." Lizzie crouched near her, holding a paw out.

"Easy? I just… I just saw a  _ skull _ over there!" Judy gestured in the general direction of the remains.

"Yeah… that's just how it is around here now. We can't afford to dwell on it." Lizzie pulled Judy to her feet. "Come on. Just look away, and let’s leave." 

"How do you deal with seeing all this?" Judy walked besides her, staring forward.

"Hopps, after 13 years in this field, you just get numb to it." Lizzie exhaled, eyes on the horizon. "Wish I wasn't, but… here I am."

"Yeah…" Judy entered a bout of silence.  _ I was not ready. "I was not ready. I was not ready,"  _ She repeated in her head. "...so, uhm, who's in charge?"

"How do you mean?" Lizzie asked.

"Like, do you have someone overseeing all this, or..?"

"I am. This is my op. No one else would dare touch this place with a ten foot pole, so… I figured I'd do it myself. And of course, with everyone else I picked." 

"Okay, so… we're alone out here."

"...Save for Virgil, yes." Lizzie slumped her shoulders.

"Great. What's got the US not wanting anything to do with this place then?"

"Beats me. I've been trying to convince them to do something but all they want is to bomb the place and start over."

"Of course they do…" Judy exhaled, as Harrison made his way back to the center of the group of shacks, shaking his head. 

"Nothing useful. Just some bodies." 

"Understood. Well, shouldn't waste any more time here. Requiem, let's go." The group made their way deeper into the Rainforest District, looking up at the towering trees, a cut bridge entangled in vines catching Judy's gaze. 

"Hey, if we're looking for a way up, we could always use that." Judy said, John chuckled, pausing to look at it.

"Not a chance in hell that thing'll take my weight, sister." John gestured at himself.

"Yeah… uhh… shoot. How  _ do _ we get up there?" 

"I don't know I you know this, but some of these trees are hollowed out and fit with service elevators. Those fancy restaurants and bars don't just get their fish from nowhere." Rob said plainly. 

"Maybe I'm just a dumb bunny. Okay, lets… lets go." Wading through the swamp, the five managed to reach a dock at the base of a tree. Stepping inside the elevator, Judy took a moment to take in her surroundings.  _ "Wood. Elevators. Cable. And a sad, dim red light at the top. _

_...wait, is that a panther?" _

Lurking on the elevator shaft wall, was a panther, the lone emergency light reflecting off of its eyes. 

"Uhh, guys? There's a--" Judy pointed up at the growling feline, as it darted off the wall at an impossible speed, launching right at her as she screamed. Before she knew it, she had been tackled and launched at the wall of the elevator, hitting it with a thud, her grenade launcher clattering against the floor as she wheezed, the wind knocked out of her. The feral feline roared, lunging at her, slashing across the armor on her chest before getting shoved by John. Judy watched, as the rhino lifted his quad-barreled shotgun, an excessively loud bang filling the elevator shaft, as the panther's head and right upper quadrant were turned into a chunky, red paste. 

"Hopps, you okay?" John turned to her, reloading.

"What the fff...fuck was that?" Judy caught her breath, feeling her chest for any sort of wounds or bleeding.  _ "None, thank Frith."  _ Rob knelt by the mangled cadaver. 

"Oh, they're changing, alright… look at this bastard." John helped Judy to her feet, as the group looked at where Rob was indicating. The panther's legs had become incredibly muscular, and slightly deformed. "With how fast he lunged at you, Judy," he looked at her, a worrisome look on his face. "I think the infected are evolving." 

"Well, shit… I'm getting the feeling he's just the first in a long line of mutated punks." Harrison said. Lizzie looked at him.

"Why the hell would you say that?"

"Say what?" Harrison gave her a confused glance.

"You probably just jinxed us, Harry." 

"Oh well." He shrugged, looking up the elevator shaft again. "We're near the top. Weapons up."

Rob handed Judy her launcher, giving her a pat on the back, as he raised his revolver. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be…" Judy sighed, lining up the sights on her launcher. "Oh, my life is a mess…"

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, sure has been a while. Sorry about that. Just battling an episode of depression, but I hope to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for reading!


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